Twenty-five years later, BMX is still as "RAD" as ever

Calgary Examiner
by, Darcy Fauteux, Calgary Extreme Training Examiner
Posted: 08/22/2011 10:06 PM

In the "It's so easy, it's a joke" category, local pro Darcy Peters won the Get Rad skatepark contest in Cochrane this weekend as hundreds of BMXers from across North America gathered in Cochrane and Calgary, Alberta to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie RAD. Peters had good runs full of huge, flowy airs with technical tricks thrown in for good measure. In a scary moment, Peters dropped in for his last qualifying run and slammed at the bottom of the bowl. A little bit shaken up, some guys helped him out and after collecting himself, proceeded to whup everyone in the finals.

Besides the contest, which was heavily attended by scores of BMX racers, street riders, and even flatlanders, the weekend contained a plethora of other activities to keep the RAD vibe going. The movie screening(s) in both Calgary and Cochrane were many people's chance to see the only legal 35mm copy of the movie RAD on the big screen. Question and answer sessions turned into flatland sessions. The Cochrane BMX track was visited by the entire rad crew as many guys stayed to sign autographs and pose for pictures with young and old fans alike.

BMX Gallery:4130 hosted the RAD museum and opened their doors all weekend to all of the visiting Bmx scenesters. There were two bike rides, one in Cochrane, and one in Bowness, that toured various filming locations of the movie. Sunday's tour in Bowness featured tour guide and BMX legend Eddie Fiola who enthusiastically spoke about each filming location to a group of 50 or more bike riders who joined the tour. Martin Aparijo summed up the weekend best by explaining that the reunion was just part of life as a BMXer. After 25 years or more, BMXers are still getting together by travelling around the world, meeting with friends and having a good time riding their bikes. In 1985 Martin, Eddie, and dozens of other industry-leading icons took part in the making of the movie RAD, and they were happy to share their experiences with the lucky folks in Calgary the past weekend to celebrate one of the most influential BMX movies of all time.